The Favor - YA - Sci-Fi/Thriller

 

THE FAVOR by Carmen DaVinleam

#YA #SF  - THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END meets HUNGER GAMES

This novel is partially complete.

 

One sentence pitch:

When the world is dying there’s only one way to save it, half of humanity must die before the planet does.

Query:

The world summit that aired live as 17-year-old Jasmine was at school seemed to be a normal part of school symposium. It quickly took a dark turn when the summit leader committed suicide live to show that this summit was no laughing matter. To prevent the world from dying each and every family is required to offer a favor- and depending on your family’s size, perhaps more than one. Each favor will die, so that those remaining can live. Jasmine must race to find her mother and brother. She wants to save them both by offering herself as The Favor.

 

The first few pages are copied below.

 

Chapter One

 

“The world is coming to an end and we’re all going to die…” that’s how it started, a simple sentence that would alter our world forever. I don’t think the man that said it meant any harm, but what that turned into, well, add politics to anything and it goes a little crazy. Some people laughed at the statement, while others nodded their heads like it was something they already knew and had discovered long ago.

Did this man know something others didn’t? The man was addressing the entire world, in the special televised world summit. When I say televised, I don’t mean that you could choose to watch it, or change the channel to re-watch an episode of ‘Friends’ or pick up your phone and play a game. I mean that it was broadcast on every channel, on every device, projected into the sky, played over loud speakers in every store, and over the speakers that project warnings for oncoming storms. You didn’t have a choice to watch.

“Our planet is dying. We haven’t done enough to stop it. This is our last hope.” The man that said those words looked normal enough. His brown hair and green eyes reminded me of what the school principal looked like when he was addressing the school about drug use, informative with a hint of concern. But as this man spoke with a tone that conveyed knowledge, everyone paid close attention. I was sitting at school in the gym with 2,478 other teenagers and no one was talking. I listened closely because I was waiting for him to get to the ‘unless’ part of his speech. Every speech had an unless. Right?

“Our atmosphere is dwindling away. Our waters are contaminated; our air is becoming toxic. We are using up all of our resources at an alarming rate, and no one is taking responsibility for it. Countries are fighting one another, playing the blame game. But you’re all wrong. It is everyone’s fault and there’s only one way to stop it.”

Here it was, the ‘unless’ I’ve been waiting for. “The world is over populated.” Several of the teachers that were standing around the gym gasped, as well as a few students. “After speaking with the heads of each government, showing the statistics we’re about to broadcast and taking a vote, the decision has been made. On August 1^st every family will sacrifice two members. This gives everyone six months to prepare. We’ve decided that age does not matter, it is up to each family. When we say family, we mean household as of the world census taken last month. We know this is shocking, but it is the only way to make sure the planet survives.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’m not sure anyone could believe it. If each family sacrifices two members, what about families that only have two members?

“If you are a family of three or more, two of you must be sacrificed. If you are single or in a family of two you will need to register in the Favor drawing. If you are selected to be a Favor a member of your surviving bloodline will receive a two-million-dollar honor award as well as a medal for the highest Honor in your country, for your remembrance. We realize that six months is a short time, but time is of the essence. If we do not take drastic measures now, every living thing on this planet will die.”

My stomach flipped when I saw Mr. Krazink leave the gym. I’m sure he’s thinking about his two children. He’s a single dad. He was followed by a few other single parent teachers. The broadcast wasn’t over yet, but people began leaving. I can’t tell if I’m too shocked to move, or if I just don’t want to be stuck in traffic right now. The speaker continued.

“We are aware this news is shocking, and will be the cause of great distress. That is why we have canceled all school across the world. Time spent with our children is precious, and time is dwindling. School will not begin again until September 1^st. There will however be a series of videos displayed at www.thefavor.gov on how to cope with the loss of family members that act as favors, as well as the sign-up sheet for those that wish to volunteer as favors.

“At the end of this broadcast a family favor code will appear on your devices, please take a screenshot of this code to register your family online. You have until June 30^th to list which of your two family members will become the Favors. If you have not selected which members will be sacrificed by this time, names will be selected at random and this cannot be undone, unless,”

I was one of about fifty people remaining in the gym and it was the second ‘unless’ that held my attention. Here the governments of the world have come together completely, for the first time in history and they have a second unless.

 

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